Knowledge · Guide 7 of 8
The three-way match, rethought
The three-way match is one of the most important controls in procurement. It compares purchase order, goods receipt and invoice, and it helps decide whether an invoice gets paid. It is a particularly good place to show how data becomes a reliable answer.
What the match checks
Three documents have to agree. The purchase order states what was bought at which price. The goods receipt shows what actually arrived. The invoice shows what the supplier is charging.
If quantities and prices agree within the defined tolerances, the invoice goes through. If they differ, the invoice is blocked and has to be resolved.
Where the effort arises
SAP handles the check itself reliably. The effort comes afterwards, in the resolution. Why is this invoice blocked? Is it the quantity, the price or a missing delivery? And who needs to act now, procurement, the warehouse or the supplier?
Finding out usually means opening and comparing several documents one after another. For a single invoice that is tedious. With many blocked invoices it becomes a bottleneck, and every week of delay can cost discounts and supplier goodwill.
What a good answer looks like
A head of procurement asks in Teams why a particular invoice is blocked. A good answer names the reason specifically, for example that the invoiced price exceeds the order price beyond tolerance. It names the affected lines and the size of the variance.
It also separates what is documented from what would be interpretation. That the price differs is a fact from the documents. Whether a new price was agreed is something only a person can clarify.
And it allows follow-up questions. Which goods receipts belong to it? Which contract is the order based on? Because the domain model defines which documents belong together, those answers follow the actual document relationships.
What changes in the process
Resolution starts sooner, because the reason for the block is visible immediately. The right team is approached directly, because it is clear whether this is a quantity or a price issue. And conversations with the supplier start from facts rather than assumptions.
The match itself stays in SAP, where it belongs. Bridge makes its result understandable where people work and shortens the path from block to resolution.
The final guide in this series looks at what emerges when such answers are viewed not case by case but over months.
Frequently asked questions
What is a three-way match?
The check that purchase order, goods receipt and invoice agree on quantity and price within defined tolerances.
Does Bridge perform the match itself?
No. The match stays in SAP. Bridge explains its result clearly and answers follow-up questions about the related documents.
What does procurement gain?
Faster resolution of blocked invoices, more targeted escalation to the right team, and supplier conversations that start from facts.
Want to see what this looks like in your procurement? Request a demo